FORESTRY NOTES AND COMMENTS 



TP HE census of visitors on the National Forests of dis- 

 * trict 2 during the summer of 1917, including resi- 

 dential permittees, campers, hunters and fishermen, mo- 

 torists, excursionists, pedestrians and other travelers, 

 shows an increase of 47 per cent over the 1916 estimate. 

 The total number of visitors was 984,365, divided by 

 states as follows : Colorado, 853,307 ; Wyoming, 48,061 ; 

 South Dakota, 62,707; Michigan, 11,755; Minnesota, 

 7,067; Nebraska, 1,468. 



COLORADO last year experienced one of the greatest 

 tourist seasons in its history. Over 300,000 people 

 visited the Denver mountain parks during the months of 

 June, July and August, and over 100,000 people visited 

 Estes Park. The National Forests also shared in this in- 

 creased travel. Late reports from supervisors, based on 

 a tally of visitors and data secured from railroads, re- 

 sorts, etc., indicate that there were over 845,000 recrea- 

 tion visitors between May 1 and October 31, and 142,500 

 automobiles are reported to have toured the forests. The 

 time spent by campers, sportsmen and motorists averaged 

 two days each. 



'T'HE annual game reports from the Bighorn, Rio 

 -*- Grande, and Sopris National Forests indicate a 

 healthy increase in the number of elk and deer over last 

 year's figures. Mountain sheep, while holding their own 

 on the Rio Grande, show a material increase on the Big- 

 horn and Sopris. Beaver were also reported increasing 

 on the Bighorn and Rio Grande. Bears show a slight 

 increase on the Bighorn and Sopris. Forest officers from 

 the Carson and Sante Fe report an alarming shortage of 

 blue grouse this year. It is believed that a year-long 

 closed season on these birds is necessary. 



A SPEN telephone poles are giving satisfactory service 

 ** in district 3 of the United States Forest Service, ac- 

 cording to a report to the Washington office. On the 

 Manzano National Forest treated aspen poles are in 

 good condition six years after being set. On the Carson 

 untreated aspen poles which were set when green were 

 found to be in good condition after all the yellow pine 

 and Douglas fir poles, set at the same time, had rotted off 

 at the ground. The main objection to aspen is based on 

 its tendency to become brittle with age. This can be 

 overcome by selecting good-sized poles. 



W/" G. SKELTON, living near Meridian, Mississippi, 

 ~ v has a piece of fat pine which is in a remarkable 

 state of preservation after more than half a century's 

 immersion in water. Mr. Skelton put this piece of pine 

 into a mud sill in Sowashee Creek in 1867. A few days 

 ago he had occasion to do some work on the mud sill 

 and found it in perfect condition. 



TN a recent address Director James W. Tourney, of the 

 -*- Yale Forest School, said: "I believe that the future 

 of American forestry depends to a far greater extent than 

 most of us realize upon the private land owner. Four- 

 fifths of the forests of the country are privately owned. 

 They constitute the forest lands of greatest potential 

 productivity. As the billions of feet of timber now cut 

 annually from these private lands are felled, will it pay 

 the owners to protect the cut-over areas and attain com- 

 plete reproduction by either natural or artificial means? 

 Protection must be afforded and reproduction attained 

 for the future welfare of the nation and for national de- 

 fense. It is far more important to the nation than to the 

 individual that the second growth be adequately safe- 

 guarded. The nation, therefore, by liberal tax laws and 

 technical assistance must help the private owner to attain 

 a protected reproduction and thus secure a satisfactory 

 second growth. High and uncertain taxes on privately 

 owned land maintained in forest crops and illiberal pub- 

 lic policy in rendering assistance in fire protection and in 

 reforestation, is short sighted and very unwise. For the 

 good of the nation the private owners must be encour- 

 aged and helped toward better forest reproduction and 

 toward protection of the second growth. It is up to the 

 public. It is just as much the business of the nation 

 and state to encourage the best use of the absolute forest 

 land as it is the best use of the agricultural land." 



T^ HE National Forest Reservation Commission has au- 

 * thorized the purchase of 65,923 acres of land in the 

 Southern Appalachians and White Mountains, for in- 

 clusion in the eastern National Forests. The Commis- 

 sion has resolved to refuse to make further purchases in 

 Georgia until after the repeal of hostile legislation passed 

 by the State legislature last summer. About 27,800 acres 

 on the Savannah and Georgia purchase areas, which were 

 recommended to the Commission, will be held up by this 

 resolution. The Commission also refused to approve the 

 purchase of a tract on the Unaka Area in Tennessee, for 

 which a higher price than that agreed to by the owner 

 was awarded by the jury in condemnation proceedings 

 brought with the owner's consent to clear the title. 



"D LACK walnut, which has always been the favorite 

 --' wood for gun stocks on account of its failure to 

 splinter badly when struck by a bullet or bit of shell, is 

 extremely scarce in this country at present. Birch and 

 maple are being tried out by producers of hardwood lum- 

 ber for this purpose. 



/"\NE of the state forests in Pennsylvania is supplying 

 ^-^ large quantities of cordwood to consumers at reason- 

 able prices. 



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